Quick opening and closing tube vise



June T5, 1954 FRANCK 2,680,980

QUICK OPENING AND CLOSING TUBE VISE Filed May 18, 1950 INVENTOR. Geo?" efifiancb BY x I MMMM/ r Patented June 15, 1954 UNITED STA T OFFICE George E. Franck, Riv

erside, 111., assignor to The Imperial Brass Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Illinois Application May 18, 1950, Serial No. 162,675

8 Claims. I

This invention relates to a vise and more particularly to a vise for holding tubing while sawing the same and a method for making the vise.

A general object of this invention is to provide a new and improved sawing Vise of the character hereinafter described.

Another object is to provide a vise having a base block through which chambers for receiving tubing extend and upon which is mounted a movable vise jaw which may be tion against the base block within the periphery of the tube receiving chambers.

Another object is the provision of a vise including a base block and a vise jaw movable into tube clamping relation with the base block and held in its position by a stud having means for temporarily holding the above parts in proper position during assembly of the vise.

A further object is to provide a tube sawing vise generally comprising a base block having tube receiving chambers extending therethrough, a saw blade guideway extending transversely of the tube receiving chambers and a movable ViSe jaw mounted on the base block being operable by a handle revolvable through approximately 180 to I move the vise jaw between fully opened and fully closed positions.

Other objects, advantages and features will be apparent from the description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a vise embodying the invention, the handl being shown in its jaw-releasing position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, but shows the handle (in solid lines) before it has been shifted to its jaw-clamping position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 3 modified to show the handle and jaw in clamping position; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 55 in Fig. 4.

While my invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, I have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Tubing, such as used in refrigeration, fuel lines for motors and other equipment, is easily cut by placed in clamping relaa rotary blade tool if the tubing is of a metal having a hardness commensurate with that of copper. Stainless steel tubing may not easily be cut by such cutting devices, but has been generally severed by the use of a hack saw. This invention is particularly useful in clamping such'stainless steel tubing to aid the operator in sawing the tubing.

shallow extended portion 3. The chambers I may be of various sizes as indicated by fractional numhers 9 appearing on the face of the extended portion 3 of the block. A saw blade guideway 58 is provided in the block extending transversely of the tube receiving chambers I. As best seen in Fig. 4, a pair of hardened steel plates I l are spaced by a narrow metal strip l 2 to form the sides of the saw blade guideway in. Gap screws 13 are utilized to fasten a portion M of the block to the main part of the block to form the saw blade guideway iii. If desired, the base block 6 may be cast as an integral piece with the saw blade guideway it formed therein by known machine shop practice.

Means are provided for clamping a tubing in any one of the tube receiving chambers 7. Herein, this means comprises a channel-shaped movable vise jaw !5 having its legs positioned in a pair of spaced slots 15 and I7, respectively, formed in the upper portion of the base block 6. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the base of the slots is and il' (indicated at it) extends below the periphery of each of the tube receiving chambers 1. A tube I9 is illustrated as positioned in the largest of the chambers 7 in Fig. 5. When the vise jaw is in its fully opened position as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, the lower edge of the legs of the jaw is positioned well above the tube receiving chambers l, and the jaw may clamp the tube !9 against the base block by moving downwardly to the position indicated by the numeral 28. It will be noticed that the lower edges of the vise jaw legs are made arcuately as indicated by 2| to correspond with the surface of the particular tube which may be received in the chambers 1.

Means are provided for maintaining the vise jaw in proper relation to the base block and for limiting its movement between fully opened and fully closed positions. Herein, this function is performed by a stud 4! adapted to be received centrally in the block in a bore 22 and the base block. The stud is provided with a head 23 and a triple thread 24 adjacent the head 23 and serrations 25 on the end of the stud remote from the head. An

operating handl 25 is threadably received on the upper portion of the stud ll and abuts the Vise jaw E to force it into tube clamping relation with the base block 6. A helical spring 21 is positioned in a well 31 and between the base block and the vise jaw to urge the latter away from the block. A pin 32 inserted in bore 29 holds the stud against turning and also against withdrawal from the base block.

A novel assembly method obviates the necessity for close tolerances and insures that the clamping handle is not over the saw blade guideway when a tube is clamped in the vise. In. assembling the tube sawing vise, the handle 26 is threaded onto the stud 45 so that it is against the head 23 thereof. The spring 27 and vise jaw i5 are then placed in proper position on the base block and the stud inserted through a central opening in the vise jaw, through the helical spring and forced into the bore 22 so that the serrations 25 grip the periphery of the bore. The handle 26 is aligned with the saw blade guideway Hi as indicated in solid lines in Fig. 3. While holding the stud against rotation in the block, the handle is rotated approximately new in the direction of the arrow 28 to the broken line position illustrated in Fig. 3. In this position the operating handle 26 is against the vise jaw it by reason of the compression of the helical spring 2?. After the rotation of the handle to this position the stud is forced downwardly in the bore 22 until the legs of the vise jaw come to rest against the bottom of the slots is and i? in the base block, which is the limit of the inward travel of the vise jaw. After the handle has been turned 180, the legs of the channel shaped vise jaw may be positioned at their inward limit of travel necessitating no further advance of the stud into the block. Should the stud be initially positioned into the bore in the base block further than it should be, the turning of the operating handle will withdraw the stud to its proper position. The initial position of the handle parall-e1 to the saw blade guideway and the holding of the stud against rotation in the bore while turning the handle will effect the proper positioning of the respective parts of the vise. A hole 28 is then drilled through the base block and the stud and a pin 38 inserted in the hole thus drilled to loci; the stud to the base block. This pin will i hold the stud against withdrawal and also against rotation.

This construction and arrangement of parts obviates the necessity of maintaining close tolerances as stated above. Contributing to this advantage is the employment of the serrations 25 which engage the bore in the base block. When the parts are thus assembled the vise jaw is movable between its fully closed position illustrated in Fig. 4 and its fully opened position illustrated in Fig. 2 by approximately 180 sweep of the operating handle 26. The movement of the handle extends through an are over the shallow portion 8 of the base block and at no time extends over the saw blade guideway Hi.

I claim:

1. A tube vise comprising, a base block having at least one tube-receiving chamber extending through the block and a pair'of upwardly open parallel slots passing transversely through the upper portion of the chamber, a stud fixed in the a base block intermediate'said slots and having an outer free end, a channel shaped vise jaw loosely impaled on said stud and having its legs reposing respectively in said slots, and an operating handle mounted on the outer end of said stud and having a portion engaging the vise jaw to move the jaw toward the base block and said legs into the chamber to clamp a tube therein.

2. A tube vise comprising, a base block having a tube-receiving chamber, a stud fixed in the block and projecting therefrom, a vise jaw impaled on said stud and movable between fully open position outside the periphery of said chamber and fully closed position against the base block within the periphery of said chamber, said stud having 'a head on the end projecting from the block and threads adjacent the head, and an operating handle threadably mounted on the stud in abutting relation with the vise jaw, said threads being pitched to provide movement of the vise jaw between said fully open and closed positions with approximately turning of the operating handle.

3. A tube vise comprising, a base block having a tube-receiving chamber, a stud fixed in the base block and projecting therefrom, said stud having a head on the end projecting from the block with threads adjacent the head and serrations on the end remote from the head for temporarily holding the stud against rotation in the block, a pin securing the stud to the base block, a vise jaw impaled on the stud and movable to a position against the block within the periphery of said chamber and an operating handle threaded upon the stud in abutting relation to the vise jaw for moving the jaw into tube clamping position with the base block.

4. A vise comprising, a base block having a chamber for receiving a tube, a centrally located stud fixed in the base block and projecting therefrom, a movable vise jaw loosely impaled on the stud for movement longitudinally thereof and extending transversely of the tube-receiving chamber, said jaw being movable into the block beyond the periphery of the chamber, spring means urging the vise jaw away from the base block and an operating handle for forcing the vise jaw toward the base block, said stud having threads securing the handle thereto and said threads being pitched to provide for movement of the vise jaw between open and closed positions by a fractional turn of the handle.

5. The methodcf making a tube sawing vise including the steps of providing a base block with tube-receiving chamber therein, a vise jaw, a stud'and an operating handle, forming a bore in the base block, threading the operating handle on the stud so that the handle is against the head of the stud, inserting the stud through an opening in the jaw into the bore a distance such that the jaw will rest at its inward limit of travel when the handle is rotated approximately 180 from its position against the head of the stud and is aligned substantially perpendicular to the tube-receiving chamber and then drilling a hole through the base block and stud and inserting a pin in the hole to lock them together whereby the limited travel of the vise jaw toward and away from the base block is provided with approximately a 180 sweep of the operating handle.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 including the steps of serrating the stud below the threaded portion, inserting the'stud into the bore a distance to allow the serrations to grip the base block, turning the handle approximately 180 and then forcing the stud into the bore to bring the vise jaw to its inward limit of travel.

7 Themethod of making a tube vise including the steps of providing a base'block with tubereceiving chambers, vise jaw, threaded stud and an operating handle, forming a, bore in the base block, threading the handle on the stud to position the handle against the head of the stud, inserting the stud through an opening in the vise jaw and into the bore with the handle aligned substantially perpendicular to the tube-receiving chambers, holding the stud against rotation in .the bore while turning th handle through approximately 180 around the stud, then forcing the stud into the bore until the jaw reaches its inward limit of travel with the jaw against the handle, drilling the base block and stud and inserting a pin in the hole thus drilled to lock the stud to the base block.

8. A tube vise comprising, a base block having a tube-receiving chamber, a stud fixed in the base block and projecting therefrom, said stud having a head on the end projecting from the block with threads adjacent the head and a transverse bore adjacent the inner end of the stud, a vise jaw impaled on the stud and movable to a position against the block within the periphery of said chamber, an operating handle threaded upon the stud in abutting relation to the vise jaw for moving the jaw into tube clamping posi- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 965,893 Hanson Aug. 2, 1910 1,475,058 Elzy Nov. 20, 1923 2,031,159 Griifith Feb. 18, 1936 2,061,718 Stahl Nov. 24, 1936 2,107,635 Junkermann Feb. 8, 1938 2,157,789 Hudgens et a1 May 9, 1939 2,211,242 McIntosh Aug. 13, 1940 2,260,708 French Oct. 28, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 576,141 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1946 

